Bulgaria to be the headquarters of the Association of Balkan News Agencies

Bulgaria becomes the headquarters of the Association of Balkan News Agencies South East Europe (ABNA-SE).

Kiril Valchev, the Director-General of the Bulgarian News Agency, (BTA), will be the Secretary General of the organisation for a term in office of three years.

This was voted and adopted by a full majority by representatives of news agencies from eleven countries, participants in the 30th General Assembly of ABNA-SEE, which the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) is hosting in Burgas.

ABNA-SEE will be registered in Bulgaria and will be headquartered in BTA. The statutes of ABNA-SEE were adopted, which follow the principles set out in the statutes of the European Association of News Agencies (EANA).

"This is a great recognition for Bulgaria because there are not many registered international organizations in the country. Eleven countries in the Balkan Peninsula have joined in and we have an observer from Italy, part of which is also in the Balkans, we expect it to join in as well," Valchev said.

In his words, the organization could expand further, with Moldova, Georgia and Armenia joining current members Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, Romania and Turkey.

ANA-MPA Director-General Aimilios Perdikaris was elected ABNA-SE President. The next assembly of the Association will take place in Thessaloniki, Greece in the spring of 2023. The Republic of Turkey will take over the hosting of ABNA-SEE in 2024.

The Board of Directors of ABNA-SEE includes the current President of ABNA-SEE, Skender Krasniqi, owner of KosovaPress Agency and Serdar Karagöz, Director General of the Turkish Anatolian Agency.

The idea of establishing an Association of Balkan News Agencies originated in September 1994 at a meeting in Sofia of representatives of news agencies from the Balkans. The founding first General Assembly of the informal ABNA-SEE was held in June 1995 in Thessaloniki, Greece. The aim of the organisation is to enable the development of cooperation between news agencies in the region, and to contribute to the establishment of a climate of peace, friendship and cooperation in the Balkans.

The work of the Association of Balkan News Agencies over the years includes the Albanian ATA, the Bosnian FENA, the agency from the Bosnian Republic of Srpska - SRNA, the Bulgarian BTA, the Greek ANA-MPA, the Cypriot SNA, the KosovoPress, the agency from the Republic of North Macedonia - MIA, the Romanian Adjerpres, the Serbian TANYUG, the Turkish Anatolian Agency, the Croatian HINA.

Source: BTA